Tacoma Murder Suspect Captured in Mexico

Tacoma Murder Suspect Captured in Mexico

Returns to United States to Face Charges in Pierce County

A wanted fugitive returned to the United States yesterday after nine years on the run. Agents from the FBI’s Seattle Division escorted Gabriel Nevarez, 28, formerly of Tacoma, Washington, back from Mexico to face state charges of murder in the first degree, assault in the first degree, and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree. The Superior Court of Washington for Pierce County issued a warrant for Nevarez’s arrest after the February 2007 murder of Kyle Grinnell, Jr. in Tacoma, Washington.

Nevarez, a U.S. citizen, was taken into custody without incident in February 2016, in Michoacan, Mexico by the Policía Federal Ministerial, in close coordination with the FBI legal attaché office at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. Mexican authorities repatriated Nevarez yesterday morning, transferring him to FBI custody in Mexico City. FBI agents then transported Nevarez to Washington state, transferring him to Pierce County jail late last night.

“The FBI is committed to ensuring individuals charged with criminal activity face justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Frank Montoya, Jr. of the FBI’s Seattle Division. “We are always ready to support our law enforcement partners in Washington and particularly when there is an out-of-state fugitive situation. We augment our partners’ already strong investigative efforts and reach out to additional partners to broaden the reach of law enforcement. This case ends successfully due to the valued partnership of authorities in Mexico.”

Tacoma Police Department (TPD) conducted the investigation of Grinnell’s death. In the course of pursuing a separate FBI investigation, the FBI’s Tacoma Resident Agency—a part of the Seattle Division—developed information on Nevarez’s location. The FBI and TPD routinely collaborate on cases like this one through the South Sound Cold Case Working Group.